# US 12,181,114 B2 · IR illuminator with asymetric radiation pattern

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- Number: US 12,181,114 B2
- Document ID: US12181114B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/667,066
- Filed: 2022-02-08
- Published: 2022-05-19
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2019-01-11
- Assignees: Valeo North America, Inc.
- Applicants: Valeo North America, Inc.
- Inventors: Brant Potter
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181114B2

## CPC

- F21S 41/13: Ultraviolet light; Infrared light
- G02B 19/009: {for use with infrared radiation}
- B60Q 1/0094: {Arrangement of electronic circuits separated from the light source, e.g. mounting of housings for starter circuits for discharge lamps (arrangements being part of the light source holder F21V17/06, F21S43/195)}
- B60Q 1/0483: {mounted on a bracket, e.g. details concerning the mouting of the lamps on the vehicle body}
- B60Q 1/28: for indicating front of vehicle
- F21S 43/14: Light emitting diodes [LED]
- G02B 3/02: with non-spherical faces (G02B3/10 takes precedence)
- G02B 19/0009: {having refractive surfaces only}
- G02B 27/0927: {Systems for changing the beam intensity distribution, e.g. Gaussian to top-hat}
- G02B 27/0944: {Diffractive optical elements, e.g. gratings, holograms (gratings per se G02B5/18; holograms used as optical elements per se G02B5/32)}
- G02B 27/095: {Refractive optical elements}
- G03B 15/02: Illuminating scene
- G05D 1/0242: {using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals}
- G05D 1/243: Means capturing signals occurring naturally from the environment, e.g. ambient optical, acoustic, gravitational or magnetic signals (using passive navigation aids external to the vehicle G05D1/244; using signals from positioning sensors located off-board the vehicle G05D1/249)
- B60R 2300/103: using camera systems provided with artificial illumination device, e.g. IR light source
- G03B 2215/0592: installed in front of light emitter
- G05D 2111/14: {Non-visible signals, e.g. IR or UV signals}
- F21S: NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- G03B: APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR (optical parts of such apparatus G02B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; apparatus for processing exposed photographic materials G03D)
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

An IR illuminator provides infrared radiation for a digital camera that includes a camera lens including a camera field of view; also including equidistant mounting substrates arranged adjacent to the digital camera with IR LEDs mounted to each mounting substrates and a cover lens positioned over the IR LEDs. The free-form cover lens shape facilitates an emitted radiation emission pattern but prevents visible light reflectivity into the camera lens such that the IR radiation emission pattern has an asymmetric field of view. Two IR illuminators near the camera are angled away from the camera optical direction. The cover lens may be a Fresnel lens, may include a diffractive layer or a collimator to shift radiation emitted from the LED towards an asymmetric distribution.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of operating an IR illuminator for a vision camera having a wide-angle lens with a respective wide field of view, the method comprising:
capturing images by the vision camera in the camera field of view;
transmitting IR radiation by an IR LED as symmetric radiation pattern;
changing the IR radiated by the IR LED from the symmetric pattern into an asymmetric pattern with a cover optic in a manner that prevents emitted infrared radiation from entering into the camera lens.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the vision camera has an optic axis in a direction of focus,
wherein a center axis in a direction that the at least one IR LED is facing is tilted from the optic axis by an angle in a range of five degrees to fifteen degrees,
wherein the changing, by the cover optic, shifts the symmetric pattern to an asymmetric pattern in which a center of maximum intensity of the emitted IR radiation is biased toward a direction away from the camera.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the changing shifts the symmetric pattern to an asymmetric pattern in which a center of maximum intensity of the emitted IR radiation is biased toward the edge of the IR field of view in a direction away from the camera.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the changing shifts the symmetric pattern to an asymmetric pattern in which a center of maximum intensity of the emitted IR radiation is greater than 45 degrees from the center axis of the IR LED.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the changing shifts IR radiation intensity away from the camera at a side closest to the camera and forms a radiation pattern that has uniform maximum radiant intensity that is substantially squared at a side away from the camera.

### Claim 6

An infrared (IR) illuminator for providing IR radiation for a vision camera having a wide-angle lens with a respective wide field of view, comprising:
an illuminator structure arranged adjacent to the vision camera;
at least one IR Light Emitting Diode (LED) mounted to the illuminator structure; and
a cover lens positioned to cover the at least one IR LED, wherein the cover lens changes an IR radiation produced by the at least one IR LED from a symmetric pattern into an asymmetric pattern using a cover optic in a manner that prevents an emitted infrared radiation from entering into a camera lens; and
wherein a pair of illuminator structures are arranged adjacent to and at opposite sides of the vision camera, where the at least one IR LED is mounted to each illuminator structure, wherein each illuminator structure and the at least one IR LED are identical and arranged flipped 180 degrees to emit a number of complementary asymmetrical patterns.